Neuron Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

Neuron uses the standard Cell Press abstract format.

• Word limit: 150 words maximum
• Structure: No formal subheadings; follow context-approach-results-significance flow
• Citations: Not permitted
• Highlights: 3-4 bullet points (each under 85 characters) required
• In Brief: ~40-word third-person summary required

For Neuron, the abstract should identify the brain region or circuit studied, the experimental approach (electrophysiology, imaging, optogenetics, behavior, computation), and the principal finding. Neuroscience is broad, and readers need to immediately know whether the paper's about hippocampal place cells, cortical inhibitory circuits, or spinal motor control.

The Highlights should state specific, testable claims:

• "Parvalbumin interneurons in layer 4 gate sensory input through feedforward inhibition"
• "Dopamine D2 receptor activation in striatal SPNs shifts action selection toward habitual responses"
• "Astrocyte calcium transients in the prefrontal cortex predict working memory errors"

The In Brief summary should be a single sentence. Example: "Chen et al. show that optogenetic silencing of VIP interneurons in mouse barrel cortex disrupts whisker-guided texture discrimination by removing disinhibitory control over layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons."

Avoid the common neuroscience abstract trap of spending 50 words on background about brain disease burden. Start with the specific question your experiments address.

Neuron doesn't enforce a rigid maximum figure count, but 6-7 main figures is standard for Articles.

Figure specifications:

Graphical abstract: Required for Articles, Short Articles, and Resources.

• Dimensions: 1,200 x 1,200 pixels (square, non-negotiable)
• Format: JPEG, TIFF, or PDF
• Minimum text size: 18 pt
• Single panel, no multi-panel collage
• Must be understandable without reading the paper

For Neuron, effective graphical abstracts typically show a circuit diagram with the key manipulation and its behavioral or physiological consequence. For example: a simplified brain region schematic showing the manipulated cell type, the manipulation (optogenetics symbol), and the resulting behavioral change. Avoid packing in every control condition. Focus on the one-sentence conclusion.

Circuit diagrams: Neuron places particular value on clear circuit diagrams that show cell types, connections, and signal flow. These often appear as Figure 1 or as part of the graphical abstract. Use consistent visual conventions: triangles for excitatory neurons, circles for inhibitory neurons, standard symbols for optogenetic manipulation (often a light beam icon). Many Neuron papers include a "model" figure (typically the last main figure) that presents a circuit diagram integrating all experimental findings.

Electrophysiology traces: Include scale bars for both time (horizontal) and amplitude (vertical) on every trace. State the scale bar values in the figure legend. Traces should be presentable at publication size. Individual action potentials should be resolvable. If you're showing averaged responses, indicate the number of sweeps averaged.

Calcium imaging and in vivo recording data: Include representative traces alongside summary statistics. Neuron reviewers expect to see individual examples, not just population averages. For calcium imaging, show dF/F traces with clear baseline periods and stimulus markers.

Neuron uses the Cell Press citation style.

In-text citations: Superscript numbers, assigned in order of first appearance. Commas for multiple citations (^1,2,3), hyphens for ranges (^4-8).

Reference list format:

1. Smith, A.B., Johnson, C.D., Williams, E.F., and Lee, G.H. (2025). Title of article in sentence case. Neuron 113, 123-135.

Key formatting details:

• Author names: Last name, comma, initials with periods
• All authors listed (no "et al." in the reference list)
• "and" before the last author
• Year in parentheses after author list
• Journal abbreviation per MEDLINE, volume in bold
• Comma between volume and page range
• Period at the end

No hard reference cap, but 60-80 references is typical for Articles. Neuroscience papers often need to cite prior work on the specific brain region, circuit, and behavioral paradigm, which adds up. A well-curated list at 75 is standard.

Preprints are citable with the preprint server name and DOI. Neuroscience moves quickly, and relevant bioRxiv preprints should be cited. Ignoring a directly relevant preprint looks like either unawareness or avoidance.

STAR Methods is mandatory for all Neuron research articles. The structure follows the standard Cell Press format.

Required STAR Methods subsections:

1. Resource Availability

• Lead contact (name and email)
• Materials availability (viral constructs, mouse lines, custom equipment)
• Data and code availability (repository accessions, DOIs)

1. Experimental Model and Study Participant Details

• Mouse/rat strains (full strain name, sex, age, vendor, housing conditions)
• Human subjects (IRB approval, consent, demographics)
• Cell lines (source, authentication)

1. Method Details

• Surgery (stereotaxic coordinates, anesthesia, post-operative care)
• Electrophysiology (recording configuration, solutions, electrode properties, acquisition parameters)
• Optogenetics (virus, expression time, fiber placement, light power, wavelength, duty cycle)
• Behavior (apparatus description, training protocol, trial structure, dependent measures)
• Histology (fixation, sectioning, staining protocols, imaging parameters)
• Computational modeling (equations, parameters, simulation environment)

1. Quantification and Statistical Analysis

• Statistical tests for each comparison
• Software used
• Sample sizes (number of cells, number of animals, number of sessions)
• Exclusion criteria with justification
• Definition of statistical measures (mean +/- SEM vs. median + IQR)

Key Resources Table: Mandatory. Lists all antibodies, viral constructs, mouse strains, chemicals, software, and hardware with sources and identifiers. For Neuron papers, the Key Resources Table commonly includes:

• AAV/lentiviral constructs with serotype, promoter, and transgene details
• Transgenic mouse lines with Jackson Lab stock numbers
• Electrophysiology recording equipment and software
• Optogenetic hardware (lasers, LEDs, fiber specifications)
• Behavioral apparatus and tracking software
• Analysis software with version numbers

Neuron follows the Cell Press supplementary framework.

Supplemental Figures and Tables: Peer-reviewed, published alongside the article. Label as "Figure S1," "Table S1," etc.

Supplemental Videos: Common for behavioral experiments, in vivo imaging, and optogenetic manipulations. MP4 format. Include clear labels and time stamps. Behavioral videos should show the relevant epochs (stimulus presentation, response, etc.) with annotations.

Supplemental Data: Large datasets (electrophysiology recordings, calcium imaging data, computational model code) deposited in public repositories. Common repositories:

• DANDI Archive (for neurophysiology data, NWB format)
• Open Science Framework (general data sharing)
• GitHub + Zenodo (code with DOI)
• GEO/SRA (transcriptomic data from brain tissue)
• ModelDB (computational models)

Source Data: Raw data underlying figures. Increasingly expected, especially for electrophysiology summary data and behavioral metrics.

Neuron manuscripts should begin with:

• Full title
• Author names with superscript affiliation numbers
• Affiliations with full institutional addresses
• Lead contact with email
• Author contributions (CRediT taxonomy)
• Declaration of interests
• Keywords (up to 10)

Author contributions: CRediT format is mandatory. For neuroscience papers with multiple experimental components (behavior, electrophysiology, imaging, computation), clearly delineate who performed each type of experiment. This is especially important when multiple postdocs or graduate students contributed to different experimental arms, and it's a common source of revision queries when left vague.

Declaration of interests: Required in the manuscript text. State all competing interests or declare none.

Neuron has formatting and editorial expectations that reflect the specific needs of neuroscience research.

1. Electrophysiology documentation must be exhaustive. Neuron reviewers, especially electrophysiology-focused reviewers, expect complete recording condition documentation. This includes:

• Electrode material and impedance
• Internal solution composition with exact concentrations (in mM)
• External solution (ACSF) composition
• Recording temperature
• Holding potential
• Series resistance values and acceptance criteria
• Junction potential correction (or statement that it wasn't corrected)
• Acquisition system, sampling rate, and filter settings

Missing any of these details will generate specific reviewer questions, and you won't get a pass on incomplete reporting. Patch-clamp experiments are particularly scrutinized because small differences in recording conditions can dramatically affect results.

2. Stereotaxic coordinates must be precise. For any surgical manipulation (virus injection, electrode implantation, cannula placement, fiber optic placement), provide stereotaxic coordinates relative to bregma (AP, ML, DV) with the reference atlas named (e.g., "Paxinos and Franklin Mouse Brain Atlas, 4th edition"). Include histological verification of targeting in the figures.

3. Optogenetics documentation has specific expectations. For optogenetic experiments, specify the virus (serotype, promoter, opsin variant), expression time, fiber placement with coordinates, light power at the fiber tip (mW/mm^2, measured before each experiment), wavelength, pulse duration, and frequency. Neuron reviewers know that light power and expression time dramatically affect results, so vague descriptions like "blue light stimulation" are insufficient.

4. Behavioral paradigm descriptions must be reproducible. Describe the behavioral apparatus (dimensions, material, manufacturer), the training protocol (number of sessions, criteria for stage advancement), the trial structure (timing of stimuli, inter-trial intervals), and the dependent measures (how you defined and scored the behavior). If you used automated tracking, name the software and version.

5. Circuit diagrams are expected for circuit-level papers. If your paper makes claims about circuit connectivity or information flow, include a model figure (typically the last main figure) showing the proposed circuit. Label cell types, connections (excitatory vs. inhibitory), and the specific manipulation sites. This isn't formally required, but papers without circuit diagrams when the data support one will get reviewer comments asking for one.

6. The "n" in neuroscience must be carefully defined. Neuron requires clarity about what "n" represents in each analysis. n = 15 cells from 5 mice is very different from n = 15 mice. State the number of cells, the number of animals, and the number of independent experimental sessions. For behavioral data, state the number of animals and the number of trials per condition. For calcium imaging, state the number of ROIs, the number of imaging sessions, and the number of mice.

Neuron's formatting requirements combine Cell Press standards with the extensive methodological documentation expected in neuroscience. Electrophysiology conditions, optogenetic parameters, stereotaxic coordinates, and behavioral protocols all need precise documentation, and missing details in any of these areas will trigger revision requests.

Manusights' AI-powered manuscript review checks your formatting against Neuron's requirements, including STAR Methods structure, Key Resources Table completeness, reference formatting, and word limits. It helps you catch formatting issues before submission so you can focus on the science.

For related Cell Press journals, see our guides for Cell Metabolism and Molecular Cell. You can also explore our full collection of journal submission guides for additional neuroscience and life sciences venues.